Red Carpet Ready Retreat Weekend with Valerie Waters

Red Carpet Ready Retreat Weekend with Valerie Waters

This summer I enjoyed a mind, body and soul filling mini-retreat in Santa Monica hosted by my friend and celebrity fitness trainer, Valerie Waters. There were only a dozen of us and it was so much fun to enjoy the healthy, LA celebrity lifestyle with new and old friends who were visiting from many different places.

The retreat began with a workout at a quaint and hip little studio in Santa Monica. I was so excited for this Valslide workout lead by the creator herself, Val! I’ve been a Certified Valslide Master Trainer for years now and it is still one of my favorite workout tools for fast, amazing results. If you’ve trained with me, your body has been sculpted using the exact techniques Val uses with her celebrity clients. I loved every minute of the body sculpting guided training from Val.

After our workout, of course we needed a good bite to eat to refuel our muscles so us ‘Red Carpet Ready” girls walked over to Literati Café on Wilshire Blvd. for a farm-fresh breakfast out on the patio.

Later that afternoon we met back at the studio for round two. The second portion of the day we were treated to a fabulous yoga and meditation session lead by celebrity yoga trainer Tom Morley. I felt great after this session, both relaxed and recharged… what a power combo! I love to sharing different yoga and meditation options with my clients, but it’s also always wonderful to be the student and just be present in my practice.

Friday was a full day. After a late afternoon body alignment and mind refocus we had lots to talk about. Val planned an evening out at True Food Kitchen, a restaurant in Santa Monica. Since I’m blessed to live local, Val suggested I bring my husband Vance to the dinner event. I loved that idea and so did Vance. We both enjoyed catching up with Val and sharing stories with new friends. The food was great with healthy, delicious choices on the menu. Lucky for us, the weather was just perfect to sit out on the balcony for a few hours and enjoy the SoCal summer evening and good company.

The second day we met in the morning for a hike that was filled with LA views, lizards along the path and the beautiful summer sunshine. We hiked the trails and even veered off to enjoy the beautiful neighborhood streets surrounding Temescal Canyon. Such a great hike to enjoy with friends!

Next, Val invited us all back to her home for breakfast smoothies. This is my favorite type of breakfast and Val made a great one filled with all of the “good stuff” our bodies needed. I share a few of my personal favorites in the All Day Energy e-book.

Over breakfast we learned from physical therapist (to the stars!), Jamie Milnes about keeping our body at its best. I had a few questions about my lower back and asked him what the best ways to improve my muscle function are? I got some great physical therapy ideas and I’m still using them today! Jamie gave great tips that I’ve been excited to share with my clients! I loved how simple and effective his PT ideas are and how helpful they continue to be.

After a fun and informative morning at Val’s, we decided to seek out a cool spot in Brentwood to enjoy a light lunch. We went to the Farmshop where we also spotted a few celebrities enjoying lunch with their families. The food was so fresh and the atmosphere was open and airy.

The retreat closed out with dinner at Val’s. Val always puts together an amazing spread of delicious and nutritious options. So tasty and great for the body! The Red Carpet Ready Retreat dinner was filled with new friendships, amazing food and lots of fabulous pictures.

I took away so much from Val during the weekend, including great places to hike, new healthy meal ideas and healthy LA eateries and great ways to keep my body fit and healthy… all while enjoying quality time with amazing people!